What Is A Penlight? Uses And Where To Buy

What is a penlight? You must be asking unless you know it beforehand. Penlights are a kind of flashlight, typically small and look like a fountain pen. Not only it’s a necessary equipment to have, some people like it due to the slick design and attractive look. Unlike bigger flashlights, penlight can be easily kept in your pocket. Although mostly used by medical professionals, the user spectrum also extends to general people, policemen or mechanics.

Previous penlights consisted of a small light bulb that was specially made for using in small flashlights. Nowadays, more and more LED (Light Emitting diode) penlights are used. The light flashes when the power runs through it. It can be done in two ways. Either the penlight has a switch which should be pressed, or screwing the end part so that the battery circle gets filled.

Penlights can be made of either plastic or metal, depending on hamazonow ease of carrying you want them to be. Also, they come in different colors. A penlight generally has a clip attached to its body, to help you carry it in your pocket.

In this article, we will discuss the uses of a penlight, especially medical penlight. And where to buy them, in case you need to purchase one.

Penlight Medical Definition

Penlights are more often used for a medical purpose and one of the necessary tools for doctors and nurses to have. It’s easy to carry, usually in the pocket or attached to clipboard, and provides some critical uses.

1. Pupil Test

The main use of penlight for medical purposes is ‘pupil test’. If a patient suffered a concussion, a penlight is used to make a pupil test. A pupil test is flashing the light straight on the eye to determine its response. Pupil tests are done to understand the severity of a concussion. After passing out, it’s always difficult to tell how intact the brain function and reflexes of a patient is. The easiest way to gauge that is making a pupil test and see how the pupils constrict in presence of light. The doctor or nurse generally matches the constriction against a pupil chart and keep track.

Another test is the swinging flashlight test. In which, the doctor moves the penlight from eye to eyes in every few seconds. It’s to check if your both eyes have the same reaction.

2. Going To Patients Room At Night

Unless there is an emergency, generally doctors or nurse do not want to wake the patients in the middle of the night. As they know, a good sleep is best of the medicines. If they have a regular visit or check-in to the patient room, they prefer it to do with a penlight. The low lumen helps them see if everything is okay without interrupting the poor souls and without having to turn on the lights.

3. Checking Throat, Mouth Or Wounds

Penlights are also used for checking wounds more closely, to determine if the wound is infected. Also, they help to check inside of tongue or mouth, a job which needs more light to have a clearer vision. Some penlights even come with attached tongue depressor to help the doctor in checking.

Other Penlight Uses

Policemen

Penlights are a great tool for policemen. Although they generally use police flashlight, there are some uses where a penlight comes handy. It can be used to check if a suspect is under the effect of alcohol or drug. Sometimes policemen have a pupil test of their own to quickly determine that.

Mechanics

Checking an engine can be a tough job, especially in certain areas. Even the room is well lit, some parts of a machine or engine can be difficult to see due to shadows cast by other parts. In this case, a penlight is useful, especially if you have to use both hands to fix the problem, holding the penlight with your mouth.

General Uses

There are other general penlight uses, like helping anyone walking on a street that doesn’t have much of street light. Or going through your seller or basement of the house.

How To Change The Battery In Penlight | The Hack

Generally, penlights use two or three AA or AAA type of batteries. Those batteries suit the slimy shape of a penlight and don’t add much weight.

Regular penlights have a battery changing mechanism. You just need to unscrew the penlight from the light-end in an anti-clockwise direction. Bring the old batteries out, don’t forget to check which direction they are facing. Insert new batteries to the same direction, wipe the screw before attaching it again.

However, there are disposable penlights, usually come in a plastic body. Although they are said as throw away penlight, you can reuse them with a little hack. Know the battery type and try to measure the length by placing the same kind of battery aside. Then make a mark and cut through the exact spot though a sharp knife. After replacing the batteries, attach the body with wrapping a tape around the cut portion.

Where Can I Buy A Penlight

You can buy one in the nearby local store. However, many times the selection of penlight by local stores are influenced by commission rate, and sale offers other than quality.

You might not find the best brands and products out there, put aside comparing them. The problem solves if you buy from online. You will be able to find any product you want, compare it with others and read the reviews.

Yes, there is a risk of not getting the desired service. The risk minimizes to zero when you purchase from reliable stores. Also, the manufacturers have after sales policy for the customer with product issues.

If you want to know how to choose the best nursing penlight, read the reviews and decide for yourself, take a look at our extensive buying guide.

Conclusion

Whether you’re going through your basement for a collection of old photographs, or want to take a look at your patient more closely, a penlight is always useful to have. Not that, it will cost you a lot of money. But if you find yourself in a position which needed a more centered, precise lighting, penlights will serve you well. They are easy to carry, and unlike tactical flashlights, very light.

What is a penlight? How do we use one? Where to buy it? We hope our guide about penlight were able to give you information about these matters. Let’s hope you’ve ‘seen the light’. Let us know your preferred way of using a penlight, we are always happy to hear from our readers.